Why do so-called psy.ward's?

Question

Why do so-called psy ward's treat people like they are in jail not a hosiptal. To me if i was put in jail it woulden be any worse than the hosiptal i was in

Answer 1

The world has a definite problem with its attitude towards mentally ill people. People who are physically ill are treated with consideration and discretion while the mentally ill person is often stripped of his or her rights when he or she seeks help and there is no illusion about it.

It doesn't help that people with different problems are often housed in the same wards--the ill, those who abuse drugs and alcohol, the elderly who suffer from dementia. Some people need close watching, sometimes for their own protection, sometimes for the protection of others, but everyone is lumped together in the same harsh situation.

We wouldn't stand for such treatment for heart disease, for lung cancer (which can be brought on by a person's willful behavior), but we don't seem to be able to advance where our attitudes towards mental illness are concerned. Maybe it's the largely invisible nature of the illnesses that is to blame--no one with an obviously broken limb would be treated as callously or shunned by others as psychologically broken people are. Families often don't get the support they need to help their loved one because they are at risk of being judged in some negative way by their relatives.

I'm really sorry your experience was so bad and I wish you good health.

Answer 2

The psy ward is for people ranging from mild depression to suicide to homocide. The only way to make sure people don't harm themselves and others is to treat them as if they are on death watch in jail.
Not very fun at all. At least you are being watched carefully so that noone will be able to steal your food and beat you up.

Answer 3

Many of my friends have been hospitalized. I think it is because the workers there do not know what to expect from the patients. Some could get violent for no real reason, so they have to be on top of every situation all the time. And the patients are there for a reason. Most of my friends even tell me they don't trust themselves.

Answer 4

because some of the people in those wards were sentenced there by the court therefore they have to be treated like a jail

Answer 5

The hospital I guess has to keep a tight watchful eye on everyone so no one gets hurt. Everyone there has their own individual problem and situation that others don't understand or even know about. I'm glad you got better and you're not there anymore.

Answer 6

Sounds like you were either in a bad hospital or you do not like to give up control to someone else, even if they are there to help you. You must look at your situation and decide.

Answer 7

The 1st person answered correctly, but also for their protection.....a lot of the people in there are a threat to themselves and those around them....so it more for a precautionary measure!

Answer 8

It depend on the type of hospital.

Answer 9

Well it is obivious that you have not been to many psychiatric hospitals, or have very much knowledge of the subject. Here is an actual testimony from a worker at a psychiatric hospital. This should give you some clarity.

June 24, 2003

My name is Marcia Stulbaum. I am a social worker now retired. I am pleased to address this Board on the very important issue of employee safety and health. I will address my remarks primarily to the issues of safety and security, but the climate for mental and physical health is equally important, and each impacts the other.

By way of introduction and to illustrate/highlight the seriousness and magnitude of these ongoing issues, I would like to share with you my own traumatic experience.

I was the victim and am the survivor of a brutal sexual assault that took place in my office in September 1993. At that time I was a social worker at one of the psychiatric hospitals located on Long Island. I had been working there for fourteen years. I was working in my office in the early afternoon. Patients were scheduled to be at activities off the ward. None was supposed to be unsupervised in the area of my office, which was situated on the ward in the corridor between the dormitory and day hall.

I was on the telephone at the time, when a patient entered my office. I was surprised to see him and I told him to leave, which he did. However, he returned within moments. When he refused to leave the second time, I attempted to call the nurses’ station to inform them that an unescorted patient was in my office. Before I could do so, he advanced around my desk grabbed me and began molesting me. I did all I could verbally and physically to stop the attack, including screaming out the window for help. However, my office was on the second floor facing into a large, unused courtyard in the back of the building. While this was happening, another patient appeared in the doorway. I yelled at him to get help. He walked away, but soon returned and stood leering in the doorway. I was terrified that he would attack me also, but he just stood there. I realized that no help would be forthcoming. Despite my screaming and fighting, he overpowered me and forced me to the stone floor with my head jammed against the wall under the raised baseboard radiator.

Aside from the sexual attack, he made threats, forcefully covered my mouth and began choking me. I tried everything I knew to resist him, as I was desperately trying to breathe. I was terrified. I was certain I was going to die. I remember thinking, "This is crazy, you don’t die on the floor of your office, this is not the way it’s supposed to be." In split seconds, I thought of my family and that I had so much I wanted to live for. I thought that there were people in the nurses’ station and I had no way to reach them, that this was taking place not that far from them, and yet they had no idea what was happening. I thought that the last thing I would see was the underside of the radiator, and I was certain that I was going to die.

By sheer coincidence, the phone rang, distracting him. He got up, picked up the entire instrument and told me not to answer it. As he held it, there was absolutely no way I could have. During this time, I managed to get to my feet. He demanded money, which I gave him. He told me, however, that we weren’t finished yet, and pulled the phone from the wall. I knew that I was trapped, but that I had to try to get out of there. There was a little distance between us. I ran around my desk and the fan, which had toppled during the struggle, and raced past him down the corridor, not knowing if he was following. I saw that the door to the day hall was locked and my keys were in my office. I could see no one in my line of vision through the plexiglas. Once more, I thought I was doomed, and that if he caught me, he would attack me again or kill me. I screamed and pounded on the door. A cleaner in the far corner of the day hall heard me, alerted other staff and unlocked the door--at last I was safe.

The ensuing days were spent in trauma and pain. I worried about HIV infection until the six-month and twelve-month blood tests proved negative. The law allowed him to refuse to be tested. During the following months, I proceeded through a maze of paperwork and systems, including the courts until he was appropriately charged and indicted. Letters were written to Governor Cuomo, Commissioner Surles and several legislators. Their responses, if at all, were superficial at best. I called the Justice Department, OSHA and PESH. At that time, I was told that there were no standards or regulations at the state or federal levels to address violence towards employees in the work place. Essentially, there is little recourse and a lack of coordination to assist the individual. I felt very much alone in pursuing information and finding there were few options.

While this assault occurred ten years ago, many of the circumstances that existed then persist today. It was a time of major changes. Downsizing and lay-offs were taking place. Morale was low, pressure and stress were high. There was a great deal of patient movement with an emphasis on discharge. The patient population was also changing, with greater numbers of younger patients and many more patients with criminal, alcohol and/or substance abuse histories. These trends continue today.

While human behavior in a variety of settings will always have some elements of unpredictability, the population we treat, by the very nature of its illness and psycho-social history perhaps, is understood to pose a relatively greater risk to self and others. It is therefore, essential that health and safety issues be addressed in a proactive way.

Seven years ago, I was invited to Washington, D.C. when then Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich announced the publication of voluntary guidelines established by OSHA to prevent workplace violence in healthcare and social service settings. Recognition of the problem by OSHA has proven to be a major and important first step. This informed and sensitized many policy makers about the extent of the problem. Now it is time to move forward and establish mandatory and enforceable standards with increased responsibility and accountability with specific consequences and penalties.

Management and employee representatives, the federations and unions, must cooperate to identify, acknowledge, understand and resolve not only the physical elements involved in safety, but also the equally important atmosphere of the workplace. Overworked, stressed out, understaffed, undervalued and underappreciated staff leads to low morale, diminished team work and an unhealthy work environment which in turn has its impact on the physical and mental health and well being of the patients and staff.

Many new programs and work settings for treatment and rehabilitation have been developed. Each site and position should be analyzed and evaluated for the conditions unique to its setting and demands, i.e., inpatient, outpatient, centralized programs, individual sessions or visits, transportation of individuals or groups, city, suburban or rural areas. In addition to the general safety precautions, measures must be tailored to fit the specifics of the job and setting. One size does not fit all. Nothing should be taken for granted or left to chance. Each system and safety measure must have a back-up alternative. Perhaps, after all the evaluation and analysis, it should be asked, would I be safe doing this job, and if not, what would make it so.

Cost is always a factor when these issues are studied. However, it is too costly not to address them. There is the impact on patient and staff, when either is injured. There is the lost continuity and rapport between patient and staff, as well as the lost time and experience and the cost of replacement and retraining for the short and long term to name just a few.

In my case, my career was cut short. I believed in and felt satisfaction with what I was doing in spite of the frustrations and difficulties of the system. There was the loss to the patients and staff of my experience and expertise. There was and continues to be the impact on my family and me emotionally, physically and financially, as well as the alteration of long range plans. Fortunately, I have been able to move on, but it has altered my life significantly. Every individual and family reacts differently, but it is safe to say that the impact and trauma of the event remains with you in a very real way.

In conclusion, I implore you to take action to ensure that an enforceable security and safety standard is put in place to protect our state’s mental hygiene patients and workforce .

Marcia Stulbaum, MSW, ACSW


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